"I watched your video, Clark, don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," Ruby said. Clark smiled bashfully and gave another shrug. If they weren't outside of such a nice café, she would have reached across the table and popped him upside the head.

"It's not the first time I've gotten weird things from people!"

"You got a Fleshlight," she exclaimed. She lowered her voice and leaned in close. "Please tell me you're going to use it. Someone spent like seventy bucks on that thing."

"Ew, God no, I'm not using it. And why do you even know how much they cost?"

"One of my boyfriends used to have one. I found it when I was looking for an actual flashlight that time the power went out for a few hours. It was the most awkward situation I've ever been in. He tried to pretend like it was his dad's, which made it even weirder because it was in his bedroom." Ruby bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing too loud and Clark drowned his laughter in his coffee. That was one situation he never wanted to experience, which was why he planned on trashing the sex toy.

The drama revolving around the party had cleared up in the days that followed, and Clark was thankful to have his friend back. He knew Ruby cared about him and hadn't abandoned him on purpose. They'd both been drunk, a little too emotional, and he was just happy to have her back. He hadn't realized how lonely things were without her around to talk to him.

"How'd you even convince your parents to let you back on the internet?" she asked.

"It was pretty easy, actually. I asked my mom, and she told me that if Nakota said it was okay, then it was."

"Ooh, that hot bodyguard? I'm sure you gave him a convincing... argument."

"Don't be gross!" Clark said. "I did not have relations with that man."

"You really expect me to believe that? Two weeks with him and you've been on your best behavior?" She looked at him skeptically.

"It's true!" It wasn't true. Last night he'd have a dream of the man that had been more than PG-13. He woke up hot and bothered, and had spent most of the night trying to keep those thoughts out of his head. Not only was that unprofessional, but he wasn't even sure if Nakota was into that kind of thing.

"Liar," she said. "I saw the way you were looking at him when we went shopping for Haley's party. Especially when you were trying shirts on. You kept looking to him for approval."

"You're actually a bald-headed liar, because that's not true at all." Clark had looked over in Nakota's direction a few times, but it hadn't been as bad as Ruby was saying it had. Right?

"Whatever, you keep telling yourself that. What you need to be doing is figuring out whether or not he swings your way. Use those high school journalist skills and figure out what he's into, because if you ask me, you're too uptight. If you're not gonna use those sex toys you got in the mail, you might as well try Nakota on for size." Clark seized a handful of napkins and threw them at Ruby's face. She laughed and swatted them away easily. Her giggling died down when she looked over his shoulder. Clark noticed her silence and glanced back. Dex approached them, and he could already tell the other boy wasn't happy.

"I thought I told you about hanging out with him," Dex said, stomping his way to the table. He looked at the cups of coffee between them and sneered. "Aw, are you two on a little date?"

"Dex, please," Ruby hissed. A few of the others outside the café were looking in their direction. She really wasn't in the mood for a scene.

"Maybe if you listened to me, this wouldn't be happening," he shot back. He glanced at an unaffected Clark and slapped his drink from his hand. "Why are you always around my girl, huh? Think you can steal her from me? Think I'd actually let that happen?"

"Dude, we were literally talking about gay sex before you got here," Clark said. "I'm surprised you and your bat ears couldn't pick that up from around the corner." Dex started for him but Ruby pushed him back.

"Clark," she hissed.

"It's not my fault he looks like an extra from The Hobbit," he muttered. Ruby started to say something but Dex's hand swung from behind her and connected with Clark's cheek. He wobbled, almost toppling out of his chair.

"Dex!" she screamed. Clark grabbed Ruby's coffee and threw it at the other boy. It burst open on his chest, covering him in hot liquid.

"Asshole," Clark shouted. He stood up fast, knocking his chair back. Dex instantly snatched him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him up against the wall. His hand cocked back, ready to strike. A quick kick to the back of Dex's knee threw him off guard. Nakota twisted Dex's fist behind his back and pressed him up against the wall, his breath ragged in his ear.

"If I see you bothering Clark again, I'll rip your fucking arm off and shove it up your ass. Do you understand me?" He twisted Dex's arm harder until the boy cried out.

"Okay!" he shouted. Nakota threw him to the ground and straightened himself up. A police officer approached but stopped when Nakota held a hand up to signal it was okay. Ruby dropped to her knees to inspect Dex.

"Let me see it," Nakota said, moving Clark's hand off his face. He could already tell there would be a nasty bruise. Clark winced as the man ran his finger over it. "You'll be okay," he assured him. Clark wasn't concerned with his face at the moment. He was more upset that Ruby was helping Dex up from the ground. He was the one who got punched. Tears glimmered in her eyes as she guided him up.

"Ruby," he said softly. She avoided making eye contact with him. She led Dex back to her car, ignoring all the stares around her. Clark was rigid, his heart pounding. He wanted to kick over the table and yell at Dex for being such a dick. It wasn't fair that she was picking him again.

"We should go," Nakota said, a hand pressed on the small of Clark's back. Clark huffed for a moment longer before he made a beeline for Nakota's car.

+

The realization that he'd have a huge mark across his face finally set in by dinner time. Clark was thankful it wasn't a black eye, but there was still a deep reddish-blue mark the size of a half dollar on the apple of his cheek. Better make a storytime video, he thought begrudgingly.

Leon had sensed something was wrong with Clark the moment he climbed into his bed. The dog sniffed his way towards Clark and placed his head on the side of the bed, staring at him curiously. Clark rolled over to look at him. "Everything is awful," he mumbled. Tears welled up in his eyes and Clark covered his face with one hand. He'd held them back at the café, but he couldn't keep them from spilling here.

Leon pressed his nose into Clark's hair, and that only made the boy cry even more. He sniffed hard and looked at the dog again, reaching out to tentatively pet it. Leon closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling for only a moment. The knock at the door drew his attention and he turned to look.

"What?" Clark said, unable to keep the irritation from his voice. The door opened and Nakota stepped into the room. Clark turned his face back to the sheets to keep the man from seeing him like this.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he lied. Nakota looked between Clark and Leon. He took a seat on the bed a few feet away from them.

"You're not fine. What's wrong?" Clark sighed. He knew that Nakota wasn't going to leave him alone until he talked about what was bothering him.

"It's Ruby and Dex. He's an ugly piece of shit and I hate him, and I'm mad that Ruby is constantly going back to him even though he treats her like trash. It's not fair. And after everything I do for her. I ignore the suspicious shit. I ignore how she shifts in her seat when he puts an arm around her. I look the other way when he smiles and she doesn't return it. She acts like I don't know what I'm talking about. Like I didn't have a boyfriend that – Ugh. She treats me like I'm not important." He swiped at his eyes and sat up, focusing on his anger instead of his sadness. It was much easier that way.

"Then stop." Nakota said this as simple as he would if he said the sky was blue. "Stop ignoring all of that. What you're describing doesn't sound like a loving relationship, and you as her best friend need to say something about it." Clark looked at Nakota like he was crazy.

"What am I gonna do about Dex? He's got an entire group of people who would back him up if I ever tried to do anything. I've thought about it so many times. I've thought about just smashing a picture frame over his head. But what if he gets those guys after me?" He was suddenly too aware about the bruise on his face. He touched it absently, wincing at the pain.

"You know that I'm here to protect you, right? Not from just this psycho, but from anyone. I'm not encouraging anything violent, but... if you find yourself in a situation, I'd have to step in. Hypothetically of course," Nakota said. Clark rolled his eyes. "The only other option is to talk to Ruby. You said it yourself, she doesn't want to be with him. Encourage her to break up with him. Be the best friend you claim to be."

Clark trained his eyes on Leon, scratching the back of his ear steadily. He knew the man had a point. If he really cared about Ruby, he'd get her out of the environment she was in. He'd look after her and care for her like the best friend he was.

"I guess."

"Don't guess. Are you going to help her or not? She may not be asking for it, but she needs help leaving him."

"I'm going to help her, jeez," Clark said. Nakota sat back a little, pleased with his answer.

"Okay then. How?"

"Tomorrow. We'll go over to her house tomorrow. I'll sit her down, talk to her about how she should stop dating a human Minecraft character, then we'll give him the bad news. I don't know what happens after that. Maybe I get my ass beat. Maybe he leaves peacefully. But whatever happens, Ruby is dumping him tomorrow. He's out of the picture." Clark looked up to see the other smiling. He gave him an inquisitive look. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because you stopped crying."

Clark realized he was right. He swiped under his eyes and reached for the tissue box on his nightstand. He blew his nose gently. A pump of hand sanitizer later and he felt better.

"This isn't part of your job description, you know? You may be looking after me, but you don't have to babysit me. You should be out there with the other bodyguards on a rotation shift," he said lightly.

"It may not be in the description, but I'm a human being. I don't like when people cry. On top of that, you already got punched in the face. I feel bad for not being there to stop that," Nakota said.

"I already told you that you don't have to worry about that. I'm not a pussy, I can take a punch or two. You're fine."

"No, I'm not fine. This is the second time I've fucked up, Clark. It's not going to happen again, okay?" Nakota's voice changed. That stern tone that had intimidated Clark into action when it came to Ruby was replaced with a softness to it that he hadn't expected.

"What's going on?" he asked. He stopped petting Leon and gave the man his undivided attention. Nakota cleared his throat, shaking his head.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with." He stood and began walking towards the door. Clark caught him by the wrist. "Clark," Nakota said.

"Don't 'Clark' me. I just told you about what was bothering me. You do the same." He hardened his glare at Nakota, only easing up when the man sat back down. "Talk," he said.

"It's about you."

"Everything's about me," Clark joked.

"Well, more about you and your family. You live in this house. You have everything you could ever want. You're living the life I wanted when I was younger." Nakota's honesty put an end to any other jokes Clark might have had in the back of his mind. Clark recalled what his father had told him about the man. He grew up in foster homes, and though he was aware that not all homes were bad, a lot of them were. Abuse of all kinds ran rampant in these temporary homes. There were stories all across the country about the dangers and possibilities.

"I'm sorry you had to grow up like that," he said. He didn't know what else to say but that.

"I don't want you apologizing. It's nothing that you did. It's just the way things are. But I can't help but shake the ideas. What if I'd grown up like you. What if I'd found a home that was a perfect match for me. What if... what if I'd found parents that loved me the way yours love you." Clark drew in a breath and held it, kept it in until it ached. He couldn't imagine, never in a million years, what it would be like to not have his parents around. The idea scared him, filled him with the same kind of panic as being trapped in a room with every exit on fire.

"Then I think about how you must have grown up. Nobody ever questioned why my foster parents took me in. All of their friends knew that they took care of kids like me. But you. I'm imagining what it was like growing up with two black parents when you're..."

"When I'm white," Clark finished. Nobody but Ruby had ever asked him about this. All of his other acquaintances had thought it, he was sure, but nobody was brave enough to ask or point it out. Still, he never missed the tiny eyebrow lifts or cleared throats whenever they met his parents. Each and every micro reaction made his stomach churn and his pulse quicken.

"When you're white," Nakota repeated. He waited for Clark to speak.

"I, uh – well, people always reacted to it, but nobody ever outwardly asked me. All of the friends I brought home thought someone had broken into my house when my parents came home. They thought we were in the wrong place. They treated me like I was a freak after they met my mom and dad. But I'm so happy that I have them. They've taught me more about the world than anyone else could ever teach me."

Clark thought back to all of the lessons his parents had given him. He understood why people smiled at him when he stepped out of his mansion to grab the mail and why they glared when his father did. He knew why he belonged in certain spaces and his parents were considered intruders. While his peers learned the history written by the winners, he learned the history written by those who suffered. He had a unique perspective compared to all his white friends. That was probably why it became easy to push them aside and exchange them for Ruby. She was as aware about the world as he was.

"The thing is, I don't care anymore," Clark said. "I don't care what people think when we're out in public. At the end of the day, my parents are rich and successful. They've worked their asses off more than anyone shooting daggers at them when we go to Target."

Nakota nodded but he wasn't sure Clark was being entirely honest. It was the way he'd switched gears, become so defensive and flippant. He'd done the same thing when he was younger. It was a front to hide the pain behind his words. It was the same tone he took every Thanksgiving when people praised the Pilgrims, and every Halloween when his culture was donned as a costume.

"I'm glad that you don't let it get to you anymore," he said after a moment of silence. "And I really didn't mean to put any of this on you. I've just been thinking about a lot. You know, I don't think I'd be the one here with you now if something else in my past had shifted, even slightly. Say I found a good home. Maybe I wasn't arrested. You'd be stuck with someone else, and they probably wouldn't be as smart, strong, or attractive as me."

Clark cracked a smile. "I'd probably be stuck with the ex-military guy."

Nakota's eyes lit up and he said, "Bumped into that guy in the hall. He was a real asshole."

"Dodged a bullet there," Clark replied. "Thank you for being honest, though. I know we're not friends, I know that you're just doing your job and we'll never see each other once this is all over, but I'm happy you shared that. Maybe it'll help you wonder less."

"Yeah, maybe," he said, rubbing his hands on his thighs. Nakota stood and looked back at Clark. "Your mother made dinner for you two. Don't stay up too late, okay? Tomorrow you're going to talk to Ruby."

"Yeah, yeah. You should come eat with us." Nakota made a face and shook his head no.

"I already have some food in the car. Plus, I don't want to make things awkward. You go enjoy it."

"Nakota," Clark said, using that authoritative voice that had made him listen moments ago.

"No, Clark," he said gently. "Go eat. I'll see you in the morning." Clark sighed and watched him leave the room. Maybe the man was right. Maybe that was a little too personal, too familiar for a professional work relationship. It still made him kind of sad to see Nakota eat in his car all alone.

+